Carriers Have Less Than Three Weeks To Submit Plans
Airlines operating at New York’s LaGuardia Airport will
have until February 2 to tell the US Department of Transportation
which flights they will voluntarily give up in order to reduce
congestion at the airport, outgoing US Transportation Secretary
Mary E. Peters announced Wednesday.
"We need to take steps now to help flyers avoid gridlock at
LaGuardia this summer," Peters said. "These voluntary reductions
will provide immediate relief while efforts continue on long-term
solutions to aviation congestion in New York."
The final order, issued Wednesday by the Federal Aviation
Administration, puts into action the proposed plan that was
submitted for comment December 22 for LaGuardia carriers to
voluntarily reduce scheduled operations from an average of 75 per
hour to 71.
As ANN reported, under that "voluntary" plan
the required flight reductions must take place by May 31, and will
be in effect until October 24 of this year.
In October, the Department announced plans to hold slot auctions
at the three major New York-area airports to help preserve
competition and keep airfares low while flight caps are in place,
but the auctions were stayed by court order. The Secretary said
today’s action is a near-term step toward restoring reliable
air service to LaGuardia, adding that any future long-term plan
should include market-based solutions.
Under Wednesday's order, the slots voluntarily returned by the
carriers by February 2 will be credited toward any required
reductions if slot auctions proceed. Slots returned or withdrawn
for nonuse after February 2 will be retired to meet the new hourly
cap, and carriers will not receive credit for those returns.
The Secretary said in 2007 and in the first 10 months of 2008,
LaGuardia ranked last among the 32 major US airports in on-time
arrival performance, with an arrival rate just above 61 percent.
The airport ranked just 28th for on-time departure performance over
the first 10 months of 2008. Recent data show that lowering the
hourly cap on operations from 75 to 71 could reduce delays by up to
41 percent, saving up to $178 million in delay related costs per
year.
The voluntary flight reductions are part of a larger effort to
reduce delays at New York airports, including opening military
airspace, increasing consumer protections, and implementing
operational improvements.
The Department also has opened an additional westbound departure
route out of New York area airports, added escape routes during
convective weather when en route airspace is limited, and
redesigned airspace to more efficiently move airplanes.